Vegetable Momos



Wish you all a blissful 2010.

To ring in the new year, here's a popular Nepali snack, that's probably been the staple diet every college goer in Delhi University (or good old DU!), particularly in the North Campus.

For a long, long time, I was afraid to try momos, as getting that pretty crimped ghujiya like pattern looks like painstaking work. However, I discovered, it's just as good without the pattern, in the taste department, if not in looks, so like me, if that's been holding you back, give it a go!

Vegetable Momos
The dough :
2 cups plain flour
Water to bind the dough
A few drops of oil (optional)
Knead the flour to smooth but not sticky dough, and keep aside. You may smear a little oil on the dough to keep it from drying, else cover it with a damp cloth. I tried the dough both ways, with and without oil, but didn't find much difference, so I prefer the oil free version.
As much as I avoid using maida(refined flour), I cannot imagine atta (wholewheat) momos, but if any of you, health conscious friends were to try it, do let me know the results.

The filling :
Finely minced carrots, cabbage, onion, paneer, ginger, garlic
6 grains, each of methi seeds & Sichuan pepper(timmur in Nepali) (these are optional, but they lend the dish that distinct nepali flavour), a pinch each of turmeric & red chilli powder, salt to taste.
Heat a tsp of mustard oil and add methi & timmur, if using, ensuring that they don’t burn. If you’re concerned about biting into them, you can remove them at this stage, they would have imparted their flavour to the oil.
Add the ginger, garlic ,veggies, paneer and haldi & chilli. Fry for a minute. Then add salt, mix well and leave to cool. If there is any water, drain well before using. The filling should be dry, and this is why we add salt in the end.

Take a ball of dough and roll out thinly. Stamp out rounds using a steel glass or katori, or cookie cutter.




Flatten and elongate the edges a bit as you put in some filling so that the middle portion of the wrapper remains somewhat thicker than the edges until you get around a 2.5 inch circle. Keep them covered with a bowl, till you get the others done, unless you have the help of your friends, kids, or other half , in which case it becomes a smooth assembly line operation.

For stuffing them, place the circle on the palm of your left hand (or on the right hand for the lefties), put a small heap of the filling in the center, fold it over, bring the edges together and crimp them making sure that the filling is enclosed. It doesn’t need to be perfect so seal in whichever pattern is manageable, as long as it gets completely sealed. Also try that edges don’t become too thick, or else they’ll be chewy when cooked. Steam for around 10 to 12 minutes, till they get done. Serve with Tomato Achar.
Tomato Achar
2 medium tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
3 dried red chillies
Salt to taste
Though it’s called achar, it’s more like a salsa. Roast the tomatoes in an oven, or a griddle until charred. Optionally, you can roast the garlic & chillies too, if you don’t care for the taste of raw garlic. Peel the tomatoes, and then pound everything together till you get an almost smooth sauce, of course you could use a blender too. Enjoy it with momos.
If making all those momos has drained out and you want to keep the dipping sauce simple, try this Spicy Soy-Based Dipping Sauce , courtsey tulsi regmi, which I haven't yet tried myself. She also has lots of momo recipes at this link.
Sherpa momo achar
2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon mustard oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon ground timur (Szechwan pepper)
In a small mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients. Serve with steamed momos.

Oh, and before I forget, you could also fry them, or better still, kothe them, which as far as I gathered, means pan fry them. Either way, it's a treat you won't regret.


P.S : Here is a plate of gorgeous momos, made by my dear friend Swati, who's left food blogging now. Miss you, Swati

26 comments:

  1. Good to see your post. I once tried making these dumplings..can't say I was too successful. The achar and dipping sauce sounds yum.

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  2. Beautiful momos...Happy 2010 to u and ur family..

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  3. i have a recipe jotted down from nita mehta. yet to try though. they are such a nice snack, but i find myself too lazy most of the time to try it

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  4. looks really nice and salsa looks spicy,perfect with it...and happy new year

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  5. I love momos and often buy the potstickers :) That achar recipe will be tried out first though

    Happy New Year DB

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  6. ummm yummy platter,..thanks fro the chutney recipes too,..wish u hppy new yr 2010 ahead

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  7. Hi!!!
    Happy new year to you too! I love momos. thanks for the recipe.it seems easy to make.

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  8. It looks beautiful! Have never tried them cos they look like a lot of hard work but u make it look easy :)

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  9. never tried making momos at home, it seems like a lot of hardwork, so I conviniently eat them outside

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  10. Happy 2010, DB, hugs to you and wish you the best in life.

    Momos look delicious, they also call them "pot stickers", don't they? I have tried to make them at home. Looks gorgeous.

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  11. Those look super authentic-you had me reminiscing about Dill Haat's momos!

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  12. i used to make these a long time ago and now have no time.. so can u please send me a plateful? love these and i keep getting dumplings but they don't match the juiciness of the real momos.

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  13. I simply love momos - and divine in this cold winter!

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  14. Lovely momos...tempting and perfect !!

    cheers and visit me if you can

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  15. i totally love your post and blog! Me a delhite as well as miss north campus!

    I am trying your recipe today but any tips on the roasting tomato part? what temperate, how, how long??

    thanks!!

    would love u to drop by my blog :)

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  16. :) yaar senti kar diya :) and mazedaar dikh rahe hain momos....

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  17. hey check out my blog. I posted my try of ur recipe :)

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  18. Hey, I missed this due to my break. Homemade momos from scratch ... too good! Must try, must try ... especially since this is a veggie recipe ... hubby will love this. Even I think of Swati at times .. hope she is doing well. :-)

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  19. Good recipe; thanks for sharing!

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  20. First time here !! you have a lovely collection !!

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  21. Looking good! Yum...I'll try those!

    Pls. visit my food blog as well,
    http://www.shvetasrecipes.blogspot.com/

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  22. Hi,

    First time on your blog and I plan to try this out soon. I have a couple ideas in my head and I need to put them down and try them out soon. Seeing ths particular entree is simply another sign to try it out soon. I love them with a side of Siracha...or rather the red pimento sauce garnished with a dash of spring onion!!!

    Shobha

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